COACHING TIPS - & NEW VIDEOS A MUST FOR THE COLTS

By web - December 5 2010

Take a look at these Coaching Videos. There are two sets - one from the Cloverdale Series utilising the skills of the Aussies, whilst the 2nd is from South Africa and hosted by the late Bob Woolmer (highly regarded as one of the top coaches of his time) These videos can only benefit players of all ages.

ONLINE, INTERACTIVE COACHING VIDEOS

Take a look at these two groups of Coaching Videos.

The first are some excellent Videos from Australia hosted by Mark Taylor and Ian Healey. The second set are from South Africa hosted by one of the finest coaches to have been - the late Bob Woolmer - assisted by Jonty Rhodes & Gary Kirsten.

The videos are easy to download and watch - with a bat or ball in your hand. Look forward to seeing your improvements next season

This Should Be Of Interest To All Our Budding Stars Of The Future.

WHAT TO DO :

-Click on the Pictures below

Once again Thanks to Cloverdale for these videos

Batting Masterclass 1

Batting Masterclass 2

Fast Bowling 1

Fast Bowling 2

Spin Bowling Tip 1

Spin Bowling Tips 2

Fielding

Wicket Keeping

Tactics

Equipment

More Coaching Videos From One of The Finest Great Coaches

RIP - Bob Woomer

Batting 1

Batting 2

Batting 3

Batting 4

Batting 5

Batting 6

Batting 7

Batting 8

Bowling 1

Bowling 2

Bowling 3

Fielding 1

Fielding 2

Fielding 3

Fielding 4

Fielding 5

Fielding 6

Aussie Great Steve Waugh

'I'd be out the back with a cricket ball in a sock three or four hours on end just hitting through the roof.

I loved it and thought this was all there was in the world.'

Mental Training: Batting

Sean TONGS

With 12,360 runs and 8 centuries to his name Sean's in Hythe's history books as their highest ever runs scorer.

Yet when he came to the club in 1988 he started out as a bowler and a number 11 bat.

Here's Sean's Batting Tips

1. Nets - when you're out, you're out. The easiest thing in the world is to go in and look a million dollars in the nets in the knowledge that you'll have your 20 minutes of batting regardless of how many times you're dismissed. Be hard on yourself. Tell the other players if you are out in the nets to a genuine dismissal, you'll be coming out - it will definitely concentrate your mind.

2. Target setting. Set yourself a target to win the game off your own bat. If it's 32 not out, play until you achieve your target, altering the field realistically as the fielding captain would.

3. Playing the field. With a minimal amount of bowlers in your net, ask each of them to set you a field. This is excellent practice, particularly against spin, where you will need a clear idea of how you are going to score your runs.

4. Runs per over. Set yourself a scoring rate during nets in runs needed per over either in setting or chasing a target. If you fall too far behind, or get out, another batter padded up comes in and takes your place.

5. Batting Practice For Childern. For junior cricketers learning the skills of batting, the best type of practice is for someone to ‘feed’ balls of any type for them to hit. However many parents or helpers will often throw balls overarm to small children, causing the ball to bounce up around the childs waist, forcing them to play the pull shot which is the stroke most junior players find the easiest to play anyway. To help them learn to hit the ball with a vertical bat, throw UNDERARM from a distance of around 15 metres and encourage them to ‘hit the ball back where it’s come from.’

This can be done in the nets, a garden, field etc. and is best carried out using non-hard tennis balls or plastic kwik-cricket balls. For really young children who may struggle to hit a moving ball, try placing it on a plastic cup turned upside down and get them to ’step and hit’ - they’ll find it much easier to hit a stationary target.

6. Buying a Bat. One of the biggest problems young cricketers have is self inflicted - they are given a bat that is far too big and heavy for them. As a rule, children should reach the age of 16/17 before they use a full size bat. Below that age, make sure they can pick a bat and hold it comfortably in the back swing position, with one hand if necessary.

Children often want to have a heavy bat to hit the ball harder but if a bat is too heavy they won’t be able to generate the bat-speed required to really give the ball a good whack!

Mental Training: Bowling

Richie FROGGETT

With over 350 wickets for the club Richie's seen as the clubs senior bowler. His 8 for 12 in 2001 vs Andover

stands as the clubs 2nd best First XI performance of all time.

Here's Richie's Bowling Tips

1. Channel bowling to a keeper or mitt. Excellent practice away from the nets. For every wide you bowl (put out 2 cones as your channel that the ball must go through being very strict on leg-side wides), impose a penalty on yourself.

2. Bowl with a new ball. Ever bowled with a new ball in a match and it just didn't feel right in your hand? Or asked not to bowl with the new ball because you don't like the lacquer? If you always practice with your favourite net ball which feels lovely and comfortable when you grip it, you're making life very hard for yourself when it comes to bowling in a match and you have no choice over which ball you use. Spend £6 and buy yourself a new ball to bowl with - then try the channel bowling drill with penalties.

3. New ball for spinners. Most spinners only ever bowl with an old ball, but there are many times when a spinner is brought into the attack very early, and sometimes opens the bowling. Practice using a new ball to prepare yourself for this eventuality.

4. Death bowling. Bowling at the death is a challenge to most bowlers. Set a field and ask the batter to try and hit you for boundaries. Include an incentive for him for every 4 or 6 he hits.

5. Improving Your Bowling. Bowling can be a difficult skill to master but you can really improve by following these simple principles. First things first - get a good basic 2 finger grip on top of the ball with your thumb underneath. When practising concentrate on your bowling action first - your run up can come later. Try to bowl from a relatively sideways position gathering both your arms up to your head - Glenn McGrath is a good example to follow.

When bowling make full use of your front arm towards your target and with your bowling arm, look to release the ball as high as possible - 12 o’clock on the clock face. Keep your eyes focused on where you want the ball to land from the beginning of your run up right through to your follow through.

For practice ideas on your own, try bowling against a wall and see if the ball comes back to you, a sure sign that you are bowling straight. If you can get to a cricket net take a bag of balls and bowl in sets of 6 balls at a single stump. If you can practice with a friend, bowl with a tennis ball to each other 20 metres apart. Practice hard but don’t overdo it - bowling can be tough work so if your body feels tired, rest for the day.

6. Should I bowl fast or slow ? Many young players struggle to decide whether they should be a seam bowler or a spinner, usually because they are good at both. If you’re having this problem, try to work out which feels the more natural and suits your physical shape. If you are tall and strong, there’s a good chance you’ll make a fast bowler whereas if your seam bowling is only medium pace and you don’t move the ball much, spin might be the better option.

However, there are no set rules in bowling and there have been some very good smallish fast bowlers such as Damien Fleming and Makhaya Ntini, whilst Ashley Giles and Anil Kumble are both well over 6ft tall. In time you’ll learn which style of bowling will give you the best chance of succeeding, til then - enjoy doing both!

Mental Training: Fielding & Wicketkeeping

Kev JAMES

Kev started playing league cricket for Hythe back in 2000 joining from big guns Totton & Eling.

With over 300 dismissals to his name

- despite a hip injury he is still regarded as one of the finest keepers in the Hampshire League.

Kev's Fielding Tips

1. Pressure catching. Ask your coach/teammate to hit you a range of different catches. Every one you drop is a penalty.

2. 20 catches. You have to catch 20 balls on the trot, if you drop 1 it's back to 0.

3. Clean collection. Have a series of balls rolled towards you, if you fail to collect any of them cleanly, you suffer a forfeit.

4. 10 throws. You are thrown or rolled 10 balls, all of which have to be caught or collected cleanly. All 10 of your throws must reach the keeper/mitter on the full.

5. Stumping chance. Keeping wicket up to the stumps, a batter faces 6 balls knowing one of them will see him leave his crease and offer a stumping opportunity. If you fluff it, fitness penalties of 1 minute non-stop press ups or sit ups.

6. Timed fielding. You agree with your coach a reasonable time frame to complete a fielding task, for example, retrieving and throwing a ball in from the outfield. If due to misfielding or a bad throw the task is not completed, you suffer a penalty.

7. Practicing your catching is a fantastic way of improving your hand/eye co-ordination and will help improve the rest of your game.

Try throwing a tennis ball against a wall from varying distances. If you can catch it easily with both hands, see if you can repeat the success using one hand only. Catching as little as 50 balls will make a real difference to this vital skill.

8. Cricket Balls Hurt Your Hands? It’s very common for young players who are making the transition from softball cricket using a tennis or kwik ball to struggle when faced with catching and playing against a real cricket ball. The key is to get your hands, and your mind, used to playing with a hard ball. Try throwing an old cricket ball from one hand to the other for 1 minute. This will ‘toughen up’ your hands and make the feel of the ball less daunting. When you’re comfortable with that, do the same thing but with a newer, harder ball.

Make sure when you’re catching or fielding a real cricket ball to relax your hands and ‘give’ with the ball where possible - if you have stiff arms and rock solid hands it will make your job a lot more difficult.

There are many variations on these ideas but I hope they will allow you to train the most important part of your cricketing set up - your mind.

Colts Advise

Ready for Your Big Game

Here's Wrighty's Pre Match Tips

Simon WRIGHT

Wrighty came up through the Colts ranks & holds the record of being the youngest player to score a First XI League Ton.

Since then he's gone onto score 6.194 runs and taken 200 wickets for the Green Caps.

Here's Wright's Tips For All Our Young Members

Attitude

Play cricket for the enjoyment

Exhibit the highest possible standards of conduct on

Players make a full commitment to the activities of the team

Develop a strong desire to do their best

Visualise goals, tactics and future performances

Develop a pre-match and match routines

Be responsible for your own fitness and skill rehearsal

Develop a self belief to overcome the rough patches.

Batting

Look for a run every ball.

Emphasize strike rotation

Call for every ball - yes, no, wait. Do not call “Go” as this can sometimes be interpreted as “No”.

Back up 2 to 3 metres every ball , when at non strikers end.

Form Partnerships to score at a steady rate.

Become aware of the run rate

Become aware of careless fielding ie Overthrows.

Become aware of fielders weaknesses and strengths.

Bowling

Bowl an appropriate line and length

Bowl to your field

Bowl over the wicket unless instructed by the coach or captain

Perform the required stretches before bowling

Identify and bowl to the batsmen’s weaknesses

Fielding

Anticipate the ball at all times

Return the ball over the stumps

Retain balance before throwing the ball.

Back up all returns to the wicket

Anticipate the bounce of the ball ie wet/quick

Provide verbal and non verbal assistance to your team mates.

Walk in with the bowler when fielding in the out field.

Mark your spot in the field and walk in, unless in close.

Teams

Play positive and attacking cricket

Build and maintain pressure upon the opposition

Actively support your coach , captain and team mates

Ensure that the team bowls the required overs in the allocated time

Stay until the end of the game

Clap the opposition captain when he comes out to bat

Shake hands with the opposition after the match .

Get Nervous Before You Bat

Most players experience nerves before they go out to bat - they just need to be controlled. The following steps will help you keep your nerves in check and use them positively when you play.

First things first - go for a jog or have a practice hit before the game starts, either will make you feel more ready to perform. If you know you’re going to be batting, have a gameplan - an idea of how you’re going to play but don’t play your innings before you go out to bat.

If you’re next in, watch the game but not TOO closely - just because the batter in is playing and missing it doesn’t mean that you will. If there’s a fast bowler on, see if you can sit behind him, the ball always seems much quicker sideways on.

Nerves are greatest at the start of your innings so keep things nice and simple. Be prepared to play yourself in and get used to the conditions and remember that you’ll feel a lot better having got off the mark, so look for a single as your first objective.

Finally, always visualise succeeding. Remember past performances when you have played well - you’ve done it before so you can do it again. Good luck!